Malt is used in the production of beer and whiskey and is made from barley in a process known as malting. The malting includes three major steps: (1) steeping; (2) germination; and (3) kilning (Encyclopedia of fermented and brewed food products (2002): 247, published by ASAKURA SHOTEN).
Once the dried malt (also known as “kilned malt”) is obtained, the sprouts (rootlets) are removed from the malt using a deculmer. The sprouts are removed for the following reasons: (a) the sprouts tend to absorb moisture; (b) the bitter taste of the sprouts affects the aftertaste of beer; and (c) the sprouts, if used in beer production, adds color to beer (Beer brewing technology (1999): 183, published by SHOKUHIN SANGYO SHIMBUN). If left unremoved, the malt sprouts give the beer and other beverages an unpleasant flavor.
For this reason, the malt sprouts have been removed from the malt in the production of beer, whiskey and other malt products. The removed malt sprouts, a by-product produced in breweries, have generally been used as an animal feed (Beer brewing technology (1999): 183, published by SHOKUHIN SANGYO SHIMBUN).
Attempts have been made to use malt sprouts in food products. One example is food and beverage products containing water-soluble dietary fiber. These products contain partially decomposed products of hemicellulose obtained by extracting plant fiber materials, such as malt sprouts, with an alkali and enzymatically treating the extract (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 3-49662). A food product has also been proposed that comprises malt sprouts obtained by crushing and sieving malt sprouts containing husks, cobs and other by-products produced during malting of barley (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 9-84540).
Although being a rich source of soluble nitrogen and various active substances that can be utilized by yeast as nutrients, the malt sprouts have an unpleasant flavor and have been avoided in food and beverage products, especially when their production involves immersing materials in a liquid. Thus, a strong need has existed for a technique for producing food and beverage products that utilize malt sprouts, a rich source of nitrogen and active substances, yet have substantially no unpleasant flavor of malt sprouts.
As described, malt sprouts, despite being a rich source of nitrogen and various active substances, have been avoided in the production of beer and whiskey as a cause of unpleasant flavor, and it is thus an objective of the present invention to provide a technique that enables the use of malt sprouts as a material for making food and beverage products.
A particular objective of the present invention is to provide a technique that enables the use of malt sprouts in food and beverage products, the production of which involves immersing materials in a liquid.